11

NCLR High School Democracy Project

Lesson Four: The Right to VoteStudents will be able to:

• Compare the requirements for voting across time in American history .

• Explain the importance of young voters to the modern electorate .

Time: 45 minutes

Preparation and Set-up: Set up a computer with Internet connectivity and a projector; test the link to the video . Make copies of handouts .

Materials:

• United States Voting Rights Timeline handout

• “The Ten States Where Millennials Could Sway the Election” article

• “For 2016, Almost Half the Latino Electorate Will Be Millennials” article

• Projector

• Computer with Internet connection, access to video Found in Translation

Time (minutes) Description of Activity Notes and Materials10 Give each student a copy of the voting rights timeline and

explain that today they will be looking at who has actually gotten to participate in voting at different times in history . Point out that in 1789, when the first presidential election was held, only 6% of the population could vote .

In small groups, ask students to review the timeline and mark each year with either a circle or an X . Circle the dates that represent changes allowing more people to vote . Put an X through the dates that excluded people from voting or made it more difficult .

U.S. Voting Rights Timeline

Students can also use two colors of highlighter or marker to indicate their answers .

The Short Voting Timeline handout can be used if time is an issue .

10 Lead a group discussion about the timeline . What do students notice about it? Why do you think people have tried to restrict voting over history?

12

NCLR High School Democracy Project

Time (minutes) Description of Activity Notes and Materials20 Share copies of the article “Millennial Electorate .” Read

either in small groups or out loud together . Discuss the following questions:

• Why do you think young people are not voting in greater numbers?

• How might politics look different if more young people voted?

“The Ten States Where Millennials Could Sway the Election” article

“For 2016, Almost Half the Latino Electorate Will Be Millennials” article

5 Tell students that the next lesson will prepare them to vote on Election Day, and they will also be working on messages to encourage their community to vote . Show the video Found in Translation and ask students what they think .

What does the Spanish message say? Why do you think he made the video this way?

Found in Translation

Show this video at least two times and ask students who can translate to help translate the Spanish at the bottom the second time through .

Note for instructor: This lesson includes activities that are meant to develop critical thinking skills . Make sure all students have the opportunity to give their opinions on the handouts or video .

Name:

Date:U.S. Voting Rights Timeline

-1-Northern California Citizenship Project

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote 2004 - Capacity Building Series

1776 Only people who own land can vote Declaration of Independence signed. Right to vote during the Colonial and Revolutionary periods is restricted to property owners—most of whom are white male Protestants over the age of 21.

1787 No federal voting standard—states decide who can vote U.S. Constitution adopted. Because there is no agreement on a national standard for voting rights, states are given the power to regulate their own voting laws. In most cases, voting remains in the hands of white male landowners.

1789 George Washington elected president. Only 6% of the population can vote.

1790 Citizen=White 1790 Naturalization Law passed. It explicitly states that only “free white” immigrants can become naturalized citizens.

1848 Activists for ending slavery and women’s rights join together Women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, NY. Frederick Douglass, a newspaper editor and former slave, attends the event and gives a speech supporting universal voting rights. His speech helps convince the convention to adopt a resolution calling for voting rights for women.

1848 Citizenship granted, but voting denied The Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo ends the Mexican-American War and guarantees U.S. citizenship to Mexicans living in the territories conquered by the U.S. However, English language requirements and violent intimidation limit access to voting rights.

1856 Vote expanded to all white men North Carolina is the last state to remove property ownership as a requirement to vote.

1866 Movements unite and divide Two women’s rights activists, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, form an organization for white and black women and men dedicated to the goal of universal voting rights. The organization later divides and regroups over disagreements in strategies to gain the vote for women and African Americans.

1868 Former slaves granted citizenship 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution passed. Citizenship is defined and granted to former slaves. Voters, however, are explicitly defined as male. Although the

Name:

Date:U.S. Voting Rights Timeline

-2-Northern California Citizenship Project

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote 2004 - Capacity Building Series

amendment forbids states from denying any rights of citizenship, voting regulation is still left in the hands of the states.

1870 Vote cannot be denied because of race, explicitly – so other discriminatory tactics used 15th Amendment passed. It states that the right to vote cannot be denied by the federal or state governments based on race. However, soon after, some states begin to enact measures such as voting taxes and literacy tests that restrict the actual ability of African Americans to register to vote. Violence and other intimidation tactics are also used.

1872 Women try to vote Susan B. Anthony is arrested and brought to trial in Rochester, New York, for attempting to vote in the presidential election. At the same time, Sojourner Truth, a former slave and advocate for justice and equality, appears at a polling booth in Grand Rapids, Michigan, demanding a ballot but she is turned away.

1876 Indigenous people cannot vote The Supreme Court rules that Native Americans are not citizens as defined by the 14th Amendment and, thus, cannot vote.

1882 The Chinese Exclusion Act bars people of Chinese ancestry from naturalizing to become U.S. citizens.

1887 Assimilation=Right to Vote Dawes Act passed. It grants citizenship to Native Americans who give up their tribal affiliations

1890 Wyoming admitted to statehood and becomes first state to legislate voting for women in its constitution.

1890 Indigenous people must apply for citizenship The Indian Naturalization Act grants citizenship to Native Americans whose applications are approved—similar to the process of immigrant naturalization.

1912-13 Women lead voting rights marches through New York and Washington, D.C.

1919 Military Service=Citizenship for Native Americans Native Americans who served in the military during World War I are granted U.S. citizenship.

Name:

Date:U.S. Voting Rights Timeline

-3-Northern California Citizenship Project

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote 2004 - Capacity Building Series

1920 Right to vote extended to women 19th Amendment passed, giving women right to vote in both state and federal elections.

1922 Asian≠White≠Citizen Supreme Court rules that people of Japanese heritage are ineligible to become naturalized citizens. In the next year, the Court finds that Asian Indians are also not eligible to naturalize.

1924 Again, citizenship granted but voting denied The Indian Citizenship Act grants citizenship to Native Americans, but many states nonetheless make laws and policies which prohibit Native Americans from voting.

1925 Military Service=Citizenship for Filipinos Congress bars Filipinos from U.S. citizenship unless they have served three years in the Navy.

1926 State violence used to prevent people from exercising their right to vote While attempting to register to vote in Birmingham, Alabama, a group of African American women are beaten by election officials.

1947 Legal barriers to Native American voting removed Miguel Trujillo, a Native American and former Marine, sues New Mexico for not allowing him to vote. He wins and New Mexico and Arizona are required to give the vote to all Native Americans.

1952 McCarran-Walter Act grants all people of Asian ancestry the right to become citizens.

1961 23rd amendment passed. It gives citizens of Washington, D.C. the right to vote for U.S. president. But to this day, the district’s residents—most of whom are African American—still do not have voting representation in Congress.

1963-64 Voting rights as civil rights Large-scale efforts in the South to register African Americans to vote are intensified. However, state officials refuse to allow African Americans to register by using voting taxes, literacy tests and violent intimidation. Among the efforts launched is Freedom Summer, where close to a thousand civil rights workers of all races and backgrounds converge on the South to support voting rights.

Name:

Date:U.S. Voting Rights Timeline

-4-Northern California Citizenship Project

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote 2004 - Capacity Building Series

1964 No special tax to vote

24th Amendment passed. It guarantees that the right to vote in federal elections will not be denied for failure to pay any tax.

1965 Grassroots movement forces change in law Voting Rights Act passed. It forbids states from imposing discriminatory restrictions on who can vote, and provides mechanisms for the federal government to enforce its provisions. The legislation is passed largely under pressure from protests and marches earlier that year challenging Alabama officials who injured and killed people during African American voter registration efforts.

1966 After the legal change, struggle continues for social change Civil rights activist James Meredith is wounded by a sniper during a solo “Walk Against Fear” voter registration march between Tennessee and Mississippi. The next day, nearly 4,000 African Americans register to vote. And other civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Stokely Carmichael continue the march while Meredith heals. Meredith rejoins March at its conclusion in Mississippi.

1971 Voting age lowered to 18 26th Amendment passed, granting voting rights to 18-year-olds. The amendment is largely a result of Vietnam War-protests demanding a lowering of the voting age on the premise that people who are old enough to fight are old enough to vote.

1975 Voting materials in various languages Amendments to Voting Rights Act require that certain voting materials be printed in languages besides English so that people who do not read English can participate in the voting process.

1993 Making voter registration easier National Voter Registration Act passed. Intends to increase the number of eligible citizens who register to vote by making registration available at the Department of Motor Vehicles, and public assistance and disabilities agencies.

2000 Residents of U.S. colonies are citizens, but cannot vote A month prior to the presidential election, a federal court decides that Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico, though U.S. citizens, cannot vote for U.S. president. Residents of U.S. territories including Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin

Name:

Date:U.S. Voting Rights Timeline

-5-Northern California Citizenship Project

Mobilize the Immigrant Vote 2004 - Capacity Building Series

Islands—nearly 4.1 million people total—cannot vote in presidential elections and do not have voting representation in the U.S Congress.

2001 Debate—Should voting rights be taken away from felons? For how long? The National Commission on Federal Election Reform recommends that all states allow felons to regain their right to vote after completing their criminal sentences. Nearly 4 million US citizens cannot vote because of past felony convictions. In California, felons are prohibited from voting while they are in prison or on parole. But, in other states, especially in the South, a person with a felony conviction is forever prohibited from voting in that state. These laws are a legacy of post-Civil War attempts to prevent African Americans from voting. Ex-felons are largely poor and of color.

2002 Trying to solve election inconsistency with more federal voting standards Help America Vote Act (HAVA) passed in response to disputed 2000 presidential election. Massive voting reform effort requires states comply with federal mandate for provisional ballots, disability access, centralized, computerized voting lists, electronic voting and requirement that first-time voters present identification before voting.

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Photos: fl ag, © Rubberball/Getty Images; people voting, © Hill Street Studios/Media Bakery.

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8.

As the presidential race shifted to Nevada with Democratic caucuses last week and

Republican caucuses Tuesday night, more young voters had a chance to chime in to

the political process. Nevada is a state with a huge young, diverse population.

But there is the perennial question: Do young people matter in politics?

Țħě 10 Șțǻțěș Ẅħěřě Mįŀŀěňňįǻŀș Čǿųŀđ ȘẅǻỳȚħě ĚŀěčțįǿňFěbřųǻřỳ 24, 2016 · 9:53 ǺM ĚȚ

ǺȘMǺ ĶĦǺĿİĐ

A young woman watches poll numbers at Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush's election­night party on Feb.

9 in Manchester, N.H. In the last presidential election, millenials had the lowest voter turnout of any age group.

Scott Eisen/Getty Images

ǾŇ ǺİŘ ŇǾẄẄǺMŲ 88.5

In every recent election, you've probably heard some iteration of the same

generational critique: "Young people don't vote."

Millennials (born between 1982 and 2000, according to the Census definition) are the

largest generation in the country. With an estimated population of 83.1 million, they

now outnumber baby boomers. But, in the last election, they had the lowest voter

turnout of any age group.

That's partly because political campaigns aren't tapping into the potential power of

young voters, according to Kei Kawashima­Ginsberg, the director of CIRCLE, the

Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, at Tufts

University.

Kawashima­Ginsberg and her colleagues are eager to increase youth participation —

CIRCLE was founded in 2001 as a result of declining youth turnout in the 1990s. This

election cycle, they've methodically studied every state to create an empirical index

that analyzes where the youth vote could potentially sway the outcome of the

presidential election. (See the bottom of this post for more on the methodology.)

They gave states bonus points for implementing election laws that are designed to

facilitate voter turnout, such as same­day registration, online registration and

preregistration, which allows voters who will be 18 by election day to sign up to vote

before they turn 18.

Once the index was computed, CIRCLE then looked at the size of the youth vote

relative to the margin of victory in 2012.

The main conclusion for Kawashima­Ginsberg was that young people, when they're

actually targeted, can help win elections — especially in these 10 states, ordered from

least important to most important in terms of youth vote.

10. Nevada

In Nevada, the margin of victory in the general election is expected to be small,

compared to the size of the youth population.

Ẅħěřě Ǻ Șmǻŀŀ Șħįfț İň Țħě Ỳǿųțħ Vǿțě Mįģħț Ħǻvě ǺffěčțěđȚħě Řěșųŀț İň 2012Researchers at CIRCLE estimated the number of voters under age 30 based on Census and voting data. In 29 states, theyfound that the youth vote in 2012 exceeded the margin of victory in that year’s presidential election. A shift in how thatgroup voted, they argue, could have affected the ultimate result. Below, the top states in CIRCLE’s youth vote index andtheir ratios of youth vote to margin of victory.

Youth voters Margin of victory

Source: Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, Tufts University

Credit: Alyson Hurt/NPR

0 0.2M 0.4M 0.6M 0.8M 1.0M 1.2M

Florida

North Carolina

Ohio

Virginia

Colorado

Pennsylvania

NewHampshire

Wisconsin

Nevada

Iowa

Still, Nevada has struggled with low youth turnout in recent elections, so turning

potential into reality is an uphill climb.

Nevada is both racially and educationally diverse. In fact, Census data suggest Nevada

will be the next state to flip majority­minority in the country; currently, about 31

percent of the under­30 population is Latino.

Nevada also has a large non­college­educated population, which suggests the youth

vote is far more multifaceted than in other states.

"Nevada's young voters ... are more and more likely to register as unaffiliated or

independent," said Kawashima­Ginsberg. That may mean fewer young Nevadans will

participate in the caucuses, but it also means they're more likely up for grabs in the

general election.

9. North Carolina

North Carolina was famously known for its high youth voter turnout in 2008, which

swung the state in Barack Obama's favor.

Since then, the state has rolled back a couple of election procedures that are designed

to ease the voting process — both same­day registration and preregistration.

Still, the CIRCLE index ranks North Carolina high because the young population has

shown it votes differently than the older population. In 2008, for example, exit polls

show 76 percent of 18­ to 29­year­olds voted for Obama. Every other age group

preferred John McCain.

The other defining characteristic is race — 23 percent of the youth population is black.

In recent elections, young African­Americans have had the highest voter turnout.

"We've found, particularly, young female black voters turn out in incredibly high

rate(s)," said Kawashima­Ginsberg.

Of course, the high turnout in the African­American community was likely linked to

the historic election of the country's first black president, and without Barack Obama

at the top of the ticket it's unclear whether black voters will participate at equally

enthusiastic rates this year.

8. Florida

"It may be counterintuitive to have Florida in the top 10, because as a whole the

population in Florida is rather old," said Kawashima­Ginsberg. The state's average age

is 41.8.

But she said the Sunshine State scored high on the "election law" index — with

preregistration for 16­ and 17­year­olds and now online registration.

"Preregistration has been found to have a long­term impact on young people's voter

turnout, even after they turn 18 or 30," said Kawashima­Ginsberg.

The other unique factor in Florida is that the state is home to more than 400 higher

education institutions; university campuses are critical for voter mobilization, since

people who are college­educated tend to vote at higher rates.

7. Virginia

Virginia has a sizable youth voting population — 1.2 million, which is 21.3 percent of

the state's population.

Traditionally, Virginia has also experienced high youth voter turnout compared to

other states.

Kawashima­Ginsberg says Virginia's relatively high, consistent turnout may be a result

of the state's competitiveness in a general election contest.

"People who are young are actually hearing from campaigns over the phones, or they

may even get door­knocking at their homes, which is not the case in other non­

battleground states," she explained.

6. Wisconsin

During presidential election years, a large percentage of young people in Wisconsin

tend to vote. In fact, according to average Census figures from the last three elections,

turnout hovered around 60 percent.

Kawashima­Ginsberg says that strong participation is partly because young folks in

Wisconsin have characteristics that correlate to high turnout — they're

overwhelmingly white, employed and living above the poverty rate.

But, she cautions, Wisconsin's population is aging, and it's being replaced by a more

racially diverse population. It's unclear whether these new minority voters will

participate at the same rates.

5. Colorado

Colorado has all three laws that CIRCLE notes as being "helpful" to youth voter

turnout — same­day registration (enacted in 2013), preregistration for potential voters

below 18 (enacted in 2013) and online registration (2009).

Colorado's youth demographic is also the fastest­growing age group in the state. It also

appears that youth voter turnout has been rising, as opposed to declining — the

opposite of the national trend.

4. Ohio

Ohio has a large number of colleges — 385 institutions of higher education, according

to CIRCLE research.

But Kawashima­Ginsberg says Ohio's under­30 population is unique — many have

children (26 percent). In fact, of all these 10 states, Ohio has the highest ratio of young

people with kids.

As a result, Kawashima­Ginsberg says, the issues that matter to young voters in Ohio

may be more diverse — encompassing not only college affordability and jobs, but also

health care and early childhood education.

"That might mean there are different places where young people who could vote could

be reached out to," said Kawashima­Ginsberg.

She says that's particularly important in Ohio because the election is likely to be tight.

"It's one of the top states when it comes to how small the margin of victory was relative

to the youth vote," she said.

CIRCLE's analysis shows that in 2012, the youth vote was about 5.6 times as large as

the margin of victory.

3. Pennsylvania

There are a few disparate factors that make Pennsylvania's youth vote unique.

This presidential election cycle, Pennsylvania is introducing online registration, which

may make it easier for first­time voters to sign up

Like Florida, the state has more than 400 institutions of higher education.

And, in recent cycles, young voters in Pennsylvania have tilted far more to the left than

older folks.

The state also has a sizable black youth population (15 percent) and, in recent

elections, young black people have voted at a higher rate than any other race. But,

similar to North Carolina, where young black voters were key in 2008, it's unclear if

black turnout in Pennsylvania will match previous levels this year.

2. New Hampshire

Young voters have a disproportionately high impact in New Hampshire, and

Kawashima­Ginsberg says that's because they've had a high turnout in recent

elections.

She attributes the strong turnout to two main factors:

"[New Hampshire] has a specific style of candidate outreach, which gets [candidates]

into the community, in people's homes ... so these young people are very likely to have

direct contact with presidential candidates," said Kawashima­Ginsberg. "Those things

can really enhance the sense of efficacy that young people's votes matter."

1. Iowa

New Hampshire and Iowa ranked almost identically in CIRCLE's index, differing by

just 1/1,000th of a point.

The reason the two are so similar is likely because they both benefit from enthusiasm

generated during the primary season. Since Iowa is home to the first nominating

contest in the country, it's almost inevitable that young people either meet candidates

in person or hear about them through TV advertisements.

"Throughout the state, there's just a lot of resources going to outreach," said

Kawashima­Ginsberg, and, like in New Hampshire, the side­effects of that outreach

linger into the November general election. On average, Census data show that about

60 percent of 18­ to 29­year­olds voted in the past three presidential elections in both

states. Nationally, about 45 percent of young people voted in the past three elections,

and about 35 percent for the two elections before that.

Methodology: CIRCLE used a variety of metrics, including, but not limited to: the

1. The demographics of New Hampshire's millennial population — a large percentage arecollege­educated whites, who tend to vote in high numbers.

2. The system and processes — New Hampshire holds the first primary in the country andallows for same­day registration.

percentage of the population under 30, the percentage of 18­ to 29­year­olds

currently enrolled in college, youth turnout in past presidential elections and the

predicted competitiveness of the 2016 race. The index also accounted for the

economic health of a state's youth population, since education and wealth tend to

predict voter participation.

© 2016 npr

Name:

Date:4/13/2016 nbcnews.com

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/2016-almost-half-latino-electorate-will-be-millennials-n499606 1/3

NEWS JAN 19 2016, 2:17 PM ET

For 2016, Almost Half the Latino Electorate Will Be

Millennialsby SUZANNE GAMBOA

Almost half of eligible Latino voters are millennials, helping grow the electorate, but presenting

significant challenges for turnout, according to the latest Pew Research Center report on

Hispanics.

Also, immigrants who have become U.S. citizens and Puerto Ricans who have moved to the

mainland from the island increased Hispanic eligible voters to a record 27.3 million for this

year's elections, according to the report.

For about 3.2 million young Latinos, this year will be their first chance to vote in a presidential

race. Those newest potential voters make up 44 percent of the Latino electorate.

That's a higher share than young voters of other races and ethnicities make up of their own

communities. Black millennials are 35 percent of all black voters; Asian millennials 30 percent

and white millennials 27.

"This goes to show Latino youth is a big part of the voter story," said Mark Hugo Lopez, Pew's

director of Hispanic research.

The youth of the electorate wasn't an unknown.

The Latino community and its leaders have been talking, and in some cases, warning, for years

about the coming wave of young Latinos. The fact that 50,000 to 70,000 U.S.-born Latinos

(meaning they are U.S. citizens) were turning 18 yearly has become a community mantra in the

discussion of potential political Latino influence and the challenges of mobilizing a difficult-to-

mobilize group of voters.

THE NEWEST POTENTIAL VOTERS MAKE UP 44

PERCENT OF THE LATINO ELECTORATE.

The Latino electorate's youth also has been something of an alarm for the community, which

has become and will continue to be dependent on a cohort of voters with a poor record of

showing up at the polls. In 2012, just 37.8 percent of Latino millennials voted.

Name:

Date:4/13/2016 nbcnews.com

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/2016-almost-half-latino-electorate-will-be-millennials-n499606 2/3

"This does present a number of challenges because of the relative size of the youth vote,"

Lopez said. It means challenges in getting out the vote, teaching people to register and getting

them registered and getting them to the polls, not just for this election but for at least two

decades to come, Lopez said.

"That doesn't mean they shouldn't be reached," he said.

Luis Blanco, a digital producer of Latino content, said he recognized that challenge after

meeting with a few voting eligible Latino millennials and realizing the political interest of the

youths.

Together Blanco, 62, and the Latino youths launched MasPOLITICA, a YouTube production that

uses video shorts and Latino actors to teach young Latinos about the political system, political

issues, "who's behind it - and who pays for it!" as the MasPOLITICA website says.

"This is the reason why we created the project," Blanco said referring to the latest Pew

numbers. "To get Latinos, as we say, get them inspired, teach them the basics and hopefully

get them to participate."

Related: For Latinos, 1965 Voting Rights Act Came a Decade Later

The tutorials are not like the Sunday talk shows; they are done in English but have some

Spanish and Latino cultural references. They also mix in comedy and sarcasm and are

intentionally not too polished. They are non-partisan, but progressive.

Related: Knocking on Doors, Getting Latinos to Caucus in Iowa, Impact Primaries

Blanco, who is raising two children, ages 23 and 25, acknowledged politics is a "hard sale" but

the MasPOLITICA videos have a strong following on Twitter.

"What we have discovered is every time we do something on immigration, you can see the

response. It is because they realize the situation of their parents and they grew up hearing and

suffering the whole immigration issue on Latinos," Blanco said.

Immigration has been a central issue in the 2016 elections, with younger Latino voters pushing

Democrats to back Obama's executive actions that would defer deportations for millions of

immigrants, to back a path to citizenship and to end accepting contributions from private

companies that build and run immigrant detention facilities.

AN ESTIMATED 1.2 MILLION LATINO IMMIGRANTS

HAVE BECOME U.S. CITIZENS BETWEEN NOVEMBER

Name:

Date:4/13/2016 nbcnews.com

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/2016-almost-half-latino-electorate-will-be-millennials-n499606 3/3

HAVE BECOME U.S. CITIZENS BETWEEN NOVEMBER

2012 AND NOVEMBER 2016. THEIR SHARE OF THE

ELECTORATE HAS BEEN STEADY AT ABOUT 25

PERCENT.

In the race for the Republican nomination, the political conversation about immigration shifted

further right when Donald Trump jumped in the competition.

But immigrants are becoming voting eligible through naturalizations at about the same rate as

young Latinos.

An estimated 1.2 million Latinos immigrants have become U.S. citizens between November

2012 and November 2016, Pew said. Their share of the electorate has been steady at about 25

percent.

And, they do a better job of showing up at the polls. In 2012, 53.6 percent of immigrant Latinos

voted.

However, immigrant Latino millennials' turnout in 2012 was 37.8 percent, similar to U.S. born

Latino millennials.

Finally, some 227,000 Puerto Rican adults moved from the island to the U.S. mainland. They

are citizens so those who register, have the right to vote. Their biggest impact is expected to

be in Florida.

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